Filed under: Concept Cars , Frankfurt Motor Show , Performance , Hatchback , Toyota , Racing Toyota has released a second teaser of its Hybrid-R Concept , along with an estimation of the show car’s power output. Using technology that’s “similar to that used by Toyota Racing’s TS030 Hybrid race car,” the concept is expected to deliver over 400 horsepower. The press release also mentions that the new concept is based on a current production model. While it’s difficult to tell from the sole teaser image of the car’s body, rumors are flying that it’s related to the Yaris . If that’s the case, though, it’s difficult to know what to make of this concept. The teaser image is quite dark, but we played around with the exposure and came up with an image that reveals more details about the new concept. Take a look at the related gallery , below, to see the high-exposure image. We’ll find out for certain what the Hybrid-R is in a few weeks at the Frankfurt Motor Show . Let us know what you think Toyota’s newest concept is in the comments. Continue reading 400-hp Toyota Hybrid-R Concept gets second teaser 400-hp Toyota Hybrid-R Concept gets second teaser originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Aug 2013 13:01:00 EST.

Filed under: Concept Cars , Frankfurt Motor Show , Hybrid , Technology , Toyota Toyota will be bringing a new concept car to the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. Dubbed Hybrid-R, Toyota says the concept will feature the same Toyota Hybrid System-Racing tech found in the automaker’s latest endurance car, the TS030 Hybrid . That car took second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans , with a gas-powered, 3.4-liter, naturally aspirated V8 and a capacitor-based hybrid system. The result was 530 ponies from the engine and an extra 300 horsepower from the electric motor and batteries. Toyota’s press release came with but one image, a new Hybrid badge which is a far cry from the Hybrid Synergy Drive label found on the automaker’s other offerings. There’s really not much else to go on yet, but the news that Toyota is already adapting its racing tech for a concept bodes well for the future of exciting, hybridized offerings from the automaker. We’ll be at Frankfurt live, and will be sure to bring you all the news on this new concept as it becomes available. Continue reading Toyota promises Hybrid-R concept for Frankfurt Toyota promises Hybrid-R concept for Frankfurt originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Motorsports , Audi , Toyota , Racing While the Toyota TS030 Hybrid won’t be participating in this weekend’s FIA World Endurance Championship race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium due to a crash in pre-season testing last month , that didn’t stop the automaker from bringing the new endurance racer as a preview for what’s to come for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The TS030 even made time for a quick photoshoot at the infamous Eau Rouge alongside the new Audi R18 e-tron Quattro, which happens to be making its race debut this weekend. While both the Audi and Toyota employ hybrid powertrains, a first for endurance prototypes, each go about it in very different ways. The TS030 makes use of a naturally aspirated 3.4-liter V8 while the R18 e-tron Quattro uses a turbocharged diesel V6. Audi’s hybrid system powers the front wheels, hence the Quattro name, while Toyota has yet to announce whether it’s system will drive the front or rear wheels. The closed cockpit racers make for quite an attractive couple, and we hope it’s a pairing that will form a lasting rivalry in the coming years. Toyota TS030 and Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro pose for the camera originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 May 2012 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Motorsports , Toyota , Racing When Toyota announced its return to endurance sports car racing with the new TS030 Hybrid this season, the plan was to enter a handful of races, like Le Mans and Spa-Francorchamps, on an invitational basis. Plans change, though, and Toyota has now upgraded the program to a full manufacturer entry, paving the way for it to compete in the entire FIA World Endurance Championship schedule. Now, with budget constraints, it’s likely that Toyota will still pick and choose which races to contest, but it does open the door. The change was apparently made in order to support endurance racing as a motorsport discipline. As part of its arrangement with the FIA , organizers at the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) need at least two manufacturers in the LMP1 category. With Peugeot’s withdrawal, the series lacked the requisite level of participation, so Toyota stepped up to fill the void. Follow the jump for the full announcement. Continue reading Toyota upgrades limited TS030 Hybrid racing program to full WEC entry Toyota upgrades limited TS030 Hybrid racing program to full WEC entry originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Coupe , Toyota , Racing The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. So, apparently, do the world’s automakers. At least, that is, when it comes to Le Mans . Case in point: the new Toyota TS030 Hybrid, the Le Mans prototype that the Japanese automaker has just revealed, mere days after Peugeot announced its departure from the endurance racing scene. Shorthand for the third Toyota Sport prototype – following the TS010 and TS020 that challenged Le Mans in the ’90s – the TS030 is the first LMP1 to employ a hybrid drivetrain. ( Peugeot was experimenting with a similar system before shutting down its program, and Audi is rumored to be testing one as well, but has yet to announce it to the public.) Toyota Hybrid System – Racing (THS-R) couples a 3.4-liter V8 to one of two potential electric motor setups: a front-mounted system developed by Aisin AW or a rear-mounted one from Denso. According to regulations, the electric boost can only drive one set of wheels, and Toyota has yet to decide which, although the 500kJ capacitor supplied by Nisshinbo is already a lock. The carbon fiber chassis, meanwhile, was developed in-house by Toyota Motorsport GmbH in Cologne, Germany – the same outfit that ran the company’s F1 team and has been looking for a new project ever since. The facility will serve as the team’s headquarters as well, from which it will field one car in its debut at the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps – the second round of the inaugural FIA World Endurance Championship – on May 5. Toyota is planning to field a second car at Le Mans in June, but while the first car’s driver roster is already confirmed , the team has yet to decide on its second line-up.